First of all, if you are going to tell me I screwed up - please don't. I already know I screwed up - I don't need the re-iterating just some help please.
It was my daughter's birthday last week and she has wanted an axolotl for 2 years or so. I finally decided to get her one. This is where my mistake began - I went to a petshop! I know nothing about fish or axolotls and made this very clear to the girl who served me. She sold me a filter (which I later discovered to be too small), a heater (which I later discovered I don't need), some plants, dechlorinator and an axolotl. She advised me to go home and set the tank up first and pick up the axolotl the following day. She didnt mention anything about cycling the tank and as I said - I know nothing about aquariums!
Everything was fine for the first 2 days but I noticed the axolotl was more lethargic than normal and wasnt eating. A few hours later i nudged him and he didnt move - i thought he was dead, so i went to a proper aquarium this time in search of a replacement. The guy there has been very helpful and refused to sell me another until we discovered why the first one was so sick. He then explained to me about the whole cycle process and I shouldn't have got my axolotl for a few weeks until the bacteria built up in the filter. He suggested I go home and bring in a sample of water. So I did this (and discovered the axolotl was not dead). Just as he expected, the ammonia level was really high - measuring about a 2.0. I also took in the box of the filter I had installed and found out it was way too small for the tank (3ft x 1ft x 1.5ft), so he sold me a bigger filter and explained that we would be starting the whole cycling of the tank once more. He also sold me some 'Prime' and 'cycle'.
I did a 50% water change and after 3 days, took another sample back in - the ammonia is still high and now the nitrates and nitrites are climbing. He explained that with daily 25% water changes, these levels should eventually start dropping.
This poor little axolotl is still living but I really want to make things more comfortable for him. Would it be a bad thing to do 25% water changes twice a day? If so, can I do 40 - 50% water changes twice daily? I know I'm not to touch the new filter.
How long will the axolotl be able to withstand these horrid conditions? I have spent $200 trying to help this little guy and would hate to see him die. He hasnt eaten in 9 days. His tail was badly curved but has straightened out a little bit. I heard curved tails indicate stress.
Please help.
It was my daughter's birthday last week and she has wanted an axolotl for 2 years or so. I finally decided to get her one. This is where my mistake began - I went to a petshop! I know nothing about fish or axolotls and made this very clear to the girl who served me. She sold me a filter (which I later discovered to be too small), a heater (which I later discovered I don't need), some plants, dechlorinator and an axolotl. She advised me to go home and set the tank up first and pick up the axolotl the following day. She didnt mention anything about cycling the tank and as I said - I know nothing about aquariums!
Everything was fine for the first 2 days but I noticed the axolotl was more lethargic than normal and wasnt eating. A few hours later i nudged him and he didnt move - i thought he was dead, so i went to a proper aquarium this time in search of a replacement. The guy there has been very helpful and refused to sell me another until we discovered why the first one was so sick. He then explained to me about the whole cycle process and I shouldn't have got my axolotl for a few weeks until the bacteria built up in the filter. He suggested I go home and bring in a sample of water. So I did this (and discovered the axolotl was not dead). Just as he expected, the ammonia level was really high - measuring about a 2.0. I also took in the box of the filter I had installed and found out it was way too small for the tank (3ft x 1ft x 1.5ft), so he sold me a bigger filter and explained that we would be starting the whole cycling of the tank once more. He also sold me some 'Prime' and 'cycle'.
I did a 50% water change and after 3 days, took another sample back in - the ammonia is still high and now the nitrates and nitrites are climbing. He explained that with daily 25% water changes, these levels should eventually start dropping.
This poor little axolotl is still living but I really want to make things more comfortable for him. Would it be a bad thing to do 25% water changes twice a day? If so, can I do 40 - 50% water changes twice daily? I know I'm not to touch the new filter.
How long will the axolotl be able to withstand these horrid conditions? I have spent $200 trying to help this little guy and would hate to see him die. He hasnt eaten in 9 days. His tail was badly curved but has straightened out a little bit. I heard curved tails indicate stress.
Please help.